The transfer of academic literacy (AL) skills into discipline-specific modules is one of the primary goals of AL interventions. Skills transfer entails students being able to read and write at academically appropriate levels, especially with regards to assignment writing. Previous research indicates that it takes time to teach AL skills, yet content modules require these skills almost instantly for successful assignment writing. Ultimately, this means that students are often underprepared for the writing tasks required in content modules at first-year level to the extent that it worsens the attrition rate. Thus, students may not obtain the necessary competencies in both writing skills and subject content. Therefore, the aim of this article is to seek a remedy for this adverse effect with the facilitation of a writing centre ‘crash course’ workshop in the AL classroom at the time students start writing assignments in core modules. The crash course focused on providing students with academic writing skills for assignment writing in their disciplines by combining writing centre pedagogy and social constructivist teaching strategies. Thus, the article measures the impact of the crash course by analysing both quantitative and qualitative data based on analyses of marks and students’ perceptions.
The advent of democracy in South Africa introduced the plethora of transformations in the Correctional Services framework. Amongst these transformations is the infusion of offender education component, economic development through rehabilitation, and the advancement of social cohesion through offender rehabilitation. These transformations are, even though not apparently so, intertwined and coordinated for the purpose of offender holistic rehabilitation. For example, vision for the Department of Correctional Services includes (but it is not limited to) offering formal education to offenders so that they will be pro-active in developing the South African economy and further attain the skill(s) of living in harmony with fellow South African citizens. Preceding research, which sought to reveal offender rehabilitation strategies has centralised and defined offender education as the resource for competing the offender rehabilitation process. However, it is paramount to note that offender formal education has been discussed at a very generic lens, without focusing on the role played by each learning area in completing the rehabilitation process. Furthermore, the language used in the learning, teaching and assessment of offenders has been overlooked, particularily in scholarship that focuses on offender development and care. In this paper, researchers sought to examine the teaching, learning and assesment of quantitative literacy and the impact thereof of using isiZulu language in correctional centre classrooms. From the pragmatic epistemological stance, researchers collected both qualitative and quantitative data through pre-tests, post-tests and semi-structured interviews to address the research question: How can the use of isiZulu as the Language of Learning and Teaching be associated with the developement of quantitative literacy in correctional centre classrooms? The intellectual piece was framed within the QUANT-QUAL explanatory sequential mixed methods design. The Andragogic theoretical ideas were used as lens upon which the study was underpinned. The findings reveal the statistically significant impact of isiZulu in the development of quantitative literacy. Amongst the findings which were inferred from the study is the significant role of isiZulu language in the development of mathematics deeper conceptual understanding. The study further revealed the two-fold role of language use in correctional centre classrooms (that is, the development of mathematics register and the development of isiZulu as a language). IsiZulu language was further distinguished as the tool towards the decolonization of the mathematics curriculum in correctional centre classrooms. Finally, the researchers propose the use of learners’ Home Language in adult correctional centre classrooms. Keywords: quantitative literacy, correctional centre classrooms, isiZulu as LoLT, ulwazi lokubala, izikhungo sokuhlunyeleliswa kwezimilo, isiZulu njengolimi lokuFunda nokuFundisa
This study investigated the linguistic choices made by teachers and their effects on students’ verbal participation in English as a second language classroom interaction in selected secondary schools in Ekiti state in Nigeria. The study used a mixed methods approach and followed a case study as well as a descriptive research design. The approaches were triangulated to analyse extracts from 20 recorded classroom lessons and teacher interviews. The findings showed that the linguistic choices of teachers during classroom interactions significantly affected the classroom discourse structure and students’ verbal participation. The teachers’ linguistic choices were primarily made to accomplish the tasks of teaching the content and, as such, teachers were engaged mostly in initiating classroom exchanges, giving feedback, and keeping the interactions under control to the extent that students were mainly engaged to provide limited verbal responses to teacher initiations and directives. The study recommended teachers’ further professional training to enhance their discourse and pedagogical practices, provision of language teaching/learning resources and conducive classroom environments by the government. The development of applicable language policy and curriculum that facilitates rich classroom interactions and the development of student’s communication proficiency was also recommended to be the main focus of the Ministry of Education. Keywords: classroom interaction, linguistic featuers, discourse, linguistic choice, English as a second language, pedagogy, classroom practice, verbal participation
